Titanic
by Tunarh
Summary: ZC:AU. There's always something tragic that happens on the Titanic. Remember Jack and Rose? Well.. how about a retelling of the story in 2010, with Zach and Cammie as the couples? Only this one has a little twist to it. Disclaimed.
1. the trailer

**Titanic**

-

**First, there's Cammie.**

"Why does this ship look so plain?"  
"What do you mean plain? Its the best ship in the world."  
"It's full of steel. There's nothing cool about it."

**The rich, beautiful one.**

"Wow. She's beautiful."  
"Her? You better stay away from her."  
"Why?"  
"Her father's in charge of this really important firm. She's supposedly betrothed to the son of one of his board members."  
"Seriously? I thought they didn't do that anymore."  
"Looks like they do."

**Then there's Zach.**

"Hey, I'm Zach Goode."  
"And why do I care?"  
"You're a Morgan. Shouldn't you be kind to all the passengers on this ship?"  
Not really. My father usually does all that work."

**The poor, handsome one.**

"Dude, its so cool that we've got these tickets."  
"You played a guy for it. In a game of poker. And he was drunk."  
"So? It was a good game."

**Their lives could turn different**

"What?"  
"Are you fucking kidding me?"  
"What the hell does this mean?"

**From just one touch**

"I'm sorry. You know from the moment you knocked me over, I... I couldn't stop thinking about you."  
"Zach..."

**So what now? The cliched...**

"I love you."  
"I love you too."

**Or the not-so-cliched?**

"I hate you!"  
"I love you too."  
"You know that the ship is about to sink? Like... Any moment."  
"Exactly why I wanted to say those three- four words."

**You choose.**

**TITANIC**

**Coming soon.**

* * *

**sorry. the trailer's short. but, um, i'll try to update this as soon as possible, yes? cos i'm currently working on three stories at one. gg:gg, something me and kiwi are writing, and something me and aly are doing.. and more. **


	2. the departure

**Titanic. This is set in the now, btw :D**

**10APRIL2010**

Cameron Morgan walked along the hallways of her mansion, her bloused neatly tucked into her jeans, with a blazer over the top of that, hat in hand. She peered into her father's office, looking around for the plump man with the magnificent moustache. Today, he wore a silk purple suit with a blue tie. He was one of the few guys who knew how to dress right. Especially in this era, where more different styles of clothing were popping up.

"Daddy?" she asked, walking by the living room. Well, one of them, anyway. She spotted her father in the far corner, ordering one of the maids around. The poor girl nodded timidly and set off to work, curtsying when she saw the younger mistress.

"Cammie!" Geoffrey Morgan exclaimed when he saw her only daughter at the door. Her smile was dazzling as she walked up to him and kissed him on both cheeks. "You look marvellous. Ready for the big journey?" he asked, grabbing his hat from the table and holding out his hand for his daughter to take. She accepted it graciously.

"Maybe," she thought. "I'm not sure I want to leave England."

"No one really does, sweetheart," he assured her. They walked towards the front door where Rachel Morgan was waiting for them.

"Are you guys ready? We have to be at the dock by 10:30. Ricardo's got everything in the car," she smiled, kissing her husband on the cheek, and taking her daughters arm.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Geoffrey yelled enthusiastically. Cammie laughed.

* * *

"So, what exactly are you willing to bet?" Zachary Goode asked, staring over his cards at the barely-a-teenager boy. What was the point of buying tickets for the _Titanic _if you didn't have any money left to start yourself off in the new world?

"Tickets. Double bunks. For the Titanic," the boy said, placing them carefully onto the rickety old table. Zach smiled.

"Well, I'm going to put down $700. That's more than enough to pay for the ticket," he grinned happily. The boy's eyes widened as her saw the pouch of money. Nodding mercilessly, he picked up his cards.

The boy's face filled with rage as he inspected his numbers, slamming the cards down on the table. "Show me yours," he said.

Double Ace.

Zach grinned happily as he and Grand gathered up the money into a pouch. "Pleasure doing business with you," he said, holding out his hand for the little boy to take. He spat at him, stomping off into the back of the bar.

"Jackpot," Zach winked. Grant shook his head as they made their way towards to harbour.

"You just got lucky, mate," he said, keeping a firm grip on the pouch.

"Maybe," Zach smirked.

* * *

Cammie made her way to the bridge, trying to keep clear of the Londoners. Her hat was pulled over her eyes, and her jeans were already getting dirty in the dust. Sea salt breezed through her hair as she followed her father onto the magnificent ship.

Geoffrey stopped suddenly and turned back to face his wife and daughter. "So how do you like it?" he asked, grinning broadly as if he were the man who built the ship. Which he was. Technically, Morgan Enterprises built the ship, but let's not go into technicalities, shall we?

"It's magnificent, darling," Rachel said, holding onto her husband's arm to avoid getting pushed around. "What do you think, Cammie, dear?"

"Why is it so plain?"

Her father chuckled. "Darling, we know that you absolutely adore things with colour in them, but I can assure you, this ship is the finest of its type. It's the best ship in the world."

"It's full of steel. There's nothing interesting about it."

Her father furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. "Well, it doesn't have to be interesting to look at. It's already interesting enough as it is. They call in the _unsinkable ship_. Well, the second so-called 'unsinkable' ship. That first one built in 1912 was a dud."

"There are many ships that don't sink these days. What makes this one so special? Other than it's a remake of the other one." Cammie asked bluntly. Her father gave an exaggerated sigh and chose to ignore that question. He led them towards the bridge and grabbed hold of his wife's hand and assisted her in climbing the steep walkway.

Once they reached the top, the guards automatically moved aside for Geoffrey to walk past. "Mr Morgan," one of them greeted. Geoffrey nodded at them and kept on walking with a pompous air lingering around him. Cammie rolled her eyes.

"Let's get you two to your chamber, now, shall we?"

* * *

"C'mon Grant!" Zach yelled, pushing through the crowd with Grant on his heels. "It's getting ready to leave!"

They rushed through to the closest bridge and climbed aboard just as the ship released a bunch of steam from both sides. The guards ushered them in and closed the door.

"Tickets, please," a sleepy guard said, holding out his hand. Zach slammed the two tickets into his gloved and waited for the nod of confirmation from the guard. Once that was received, Zach ushered Grant down to the cabins below and they quickly looked for their room.

"This is so exciting. I've never been on a big ship before," Grant pondered as they made their way down the hallway slowly.

"Well, don't get used to it. My guess is that this is the last ship we're going to be aboard," Zach replied, finally stopping outside a room marked 262.

"Why's that?" Grant asked, looking confused.

"Dude, once we're in America, then we won't need to go anywhere. I heard it's amazing there! Who'd want to leave?"

"Why didn't we just go by plane. Would've saved us a heck of a lot of time."

"Too expensive," Zach replied. "And who'd want to spend nine or ten hours or so sitting in an aeroplane when you could walk around on a ship? And you know me. I'm claustrophobic. I don't like small spaces."

"What do you call this then?" Grant asked sarcastically, gesturing towards the hallway. Zach shrugged.

Grant chuckled as Zach turned the key and they stepped inside. It was dark and dank, with only a bunk bed, a chair, and a table occupying the space provided. They were underneath the water so the light from the surface cast strange shadows on the walls.

"Ahh! Home, sweet home," Zach said, plopping onto the bottom bunk. The sheets were rough against his skin.

"Hey! I wanted bottom bunk!" Grant exclaimed, walking into the room and closing the door behind him. He turned on the light and threw the pouch at Zach. "Figure out where to hide this."

"You do it," Zach groaned, grabbing the money bag and throwing it back towards Grant who caught it with one hand and threw it behind a desk where it was completely obscured.

Zach smiled. "Nice job."

* * *

The wind on the deck of the ship whipped Cammie's hair into her face. She jumped a bit as the ship let out a huge roar, billowing out massive spasms of smoke. She smiled and waved politely as the people on the bottom cheered, confetti flying from both sides of the ship on them.

"Bye, England," she whispered softly as the boat made its way out of the harbour. She walked backwards and away from the railing. Suddenly, she bumped into someone.

"Oh, shit, sorry," the guy said, hand on her waist.

"No, its fine," she replied, stepping out of his reach. He smirked at her.

"What, you feel uncomfortable with me touching you?" he asked, eyebrow raised. Her cheeks flushed.

"Maybe," she smiled. "What's your name?" she asked, cocking a hip and placing a hand on it.

"Zach," he replied, "What's yours?"

"Cammie,"

"Nice to meet you, Cammie."

* * *

**Gahh. Sorry. Short chapter. Filler. Thing. Prologue-ish. Dunno. **

**Spirit bound's out. So I'm probably going to take a while. I'm gonna read it first :D**

**-rawr. Did you like it?  
-sorry. It's boringish D:  
-unbeta-ed. I just finished it in my maths class.  
-any ideas for the next chapter? Concrit? O_O**

**Catch ya,  
Tunarh ;D**


	3. the proposal

****

Rawr. it's longer than before. that's good, right? uhh... also, to the people who didn't check chapter one recently, i've switched the time to 2010. so, it's like.. titanic: the remake. hope you like it :D

* * *

The wind gusted about as Cammie studied Zach, a small smile forming on her lips. She raised an eyebrow as he smirked at her. This was going to be fun.

"So... Cammie... what are you doing on a ship and not a plane?" he asked, stepping towards the railing and leaning against it. the passengers had scattered as they had moved farther into the ocean and had moved on to the more luxurious resources. Say, the swimming pool and sauna.

Cammie pretended to think about it for a moment. "My father owns this ship," she finally said, giggling at the shocked look on Zach's face.

"Your father _owns _this ship?" he asked, flabbergasted. Cammie laughed.

"Didn't I just say that? I mean,_ someone _had to own it," she smiled. Zach shook his head, looking out at the vast ocean.

"I just didn't think..." he trailed off. Cammie laughed again.

"Whatever," she said. "I'll see you around then... Zach," she dismissed him with a wave and started off into the dining hall. Zach blew out a sigh, still surprised.

* * *

"So..." Grant started as Zach reached him on the top deck. "Who was that?" Zach opened his mouth to say her name but was abruptly cut off by Grant. "Dude, I know who that was. It was Cammie Morgan, wasn't it?" he asked. Zach raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know?" he asked. Grant sighed, plopping down on a bench.

"Bex told me," he answered simply.

"Yeah, and I believe anything that comes out of _her _mouth," he laughed.

"Hey! We all thought that the zoo was secure!" Grant argued. Zach chuckled.

"Yeah, and she somehow let all of those tigers loose around the city. Don't you remember how many hours it took to just get all of those animals out of Rome? Not counting the time it took to get them back into their cage,"

Grant huffed, looking away. Zach chuckled. "I'm going to go back to our room," he said, thumping Grant's shoulder before walking away.

Grant looked at his watch. This was going to be a hell of a cruise.

* * *

_[Three hours later]_

Preston Winters smiled as he walked out of his room and down the hallway. Being betrothed to one of the most powerful women of the century had its perks. He pocketed the two-carat ring and walked into the dining hall, scoping the room for the Morgan family.

Of course, he spotted them at once. That bright purple silk suit was kind of hard to miss. He'd always pegged Geoffrey Morgan as an erratic dresser. Smiling, he walked to their table and sat down next to Cammie and Geoffrey, shaking his hand and giving Cammie a kiss on her cheek.

She cleared her throat as he pulled away and spooned mash potatoes into her mouth. Preston furrowed his eyebrows, his hand gripping the velvet box as if it was a lifeline.

"So, Preston, my boy," Geoffrey boomed, attracting the attention of some of the people surrounding them. They quickly looked away when they met his glare. "How do you like the ship?" he asked, cutting up his steak.

"Oh, uh, it's...cool," he answered quickly, avoiding the gaze of a very sullen Macey McHenry from the table over.

Geoffrey hesitated. "Cool," he said in monotone. Rachel shot him a look. "That's, um, wonderful! I mean, you designed it, after all," he said.

Preston gave him a fleeting smile and looked over at Cammie who was playing around with her food. He hated to do this with Macey here, but this was the only time.

"Cammie," he whispered. She looked over, surprised and confused.

Preston got up from his seat and moved his chair away. He looked over at Geoffrey nervously who gave him a small nod. "Preston?" Cammie asked, turning her body to face him.

He got down on one knee and pulled out the box with sweating hands. Cammie's eyes widened.

"Cameron Morgan, I promise to love you forever. Will you marry me?" he asked, opening the box and exposing the ring.

He swore the whole dining hall held their breath as they awaited Cammie's answer.

She looked around; at the smiling face of her mother, the beaming smile on her dad's face. She sighed, looking back down at Preston. Preston, with his innocent brown eyes and ruffled black hair, with the ring in his hands, and the look on his face growing worried as time passed.

"Yes," she breathed, looking down. Everyone had expected her to do it. Why not? Preston smiled and plucked the ring from the case, sliding it onto Cammie's ring finger with ease. His eyes flicked to where Macey had been sitting but found an empty seat. Rising from the floor, he pressed a quick kiss on Cammie's lips and settled back into his chair.

Geoffrey lifted his glass in a toast.

* * *

Zach shivered as the cold ocean air hit him, standing in his favourite place; by the railing. He looked over at Grant who was chatting with some guy named Jonas.

He looked up as the two made their way over to him. Smiling, he greeted Jonas with a slap on the back, but looked up as he saw something moving on the top deck.

"Wow, she's beautiful," he said, staring at her. He looked around at the astonished looks on his friend's faces. _Shit, I said it out loud, _he thought.

"Her?" Jonas asked, chuckling softly. "You better stay away from her," he said.

"Why?" Zach asked, confused. Jonas looked at Zach as if he was crazy.

"Her father's in charge of this really important firm," he said. "The one that owns this ship, actually. She's supposedly betrothed to the son of one of his board members."

"Seriously?" Zach questioned, surprised. "I thought they didn't do that anymore."

"Looks like they do," Grant said quietly, hands in his coat pocket. Zach looked up at the top deck. Cammie had gone.

* * *

"Hey... Zach, right?" Cammie asked, tapping Zach on the back as he admired a Picasso on the wall in the foyer.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah," he said, turning around and smiling at Cammie. His smile faded when he spotted the engagement ring on her left hand.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, giggling. Zach shrugged.

"Admiring the artwork," he answered simply, gesturing to the dozen or so paintings on the wall. "Your dad has exquisite taste," he mused.

Cammie laughed. "My dad didn't pick them out," she said. "My mum did."

Zach raised his eyebrows. "Oh, well, then your mother has exquisite taste," he said.

"I'll be sure to pass on that message then," Cammie said. Zach laughed.

"So who's the lucky guy?" he asked. Cammie looked up at him, confused. He gestured towards her ring which she quickly hid from view.

"Oh, um, no one," she said quickly. Zach gave her a Look. "Preston Winters," she sighed, looking away.

"I offer my congratulations," he said, walking away.

Warm arms wrapped around her from behind as she looked at Zach's retreating figure. "Hey," a voice whispered into her ear. She turned around to meet Preston's gaze.

"Hi, you," she said. Preston laughed, giving her a kiss which she returned half-heartedly. Preston smiled as he studied her.

"What's bothering you?" he asked, worried. Cammie looked away.

"Nothing," she said, smiling. "It's nothing,"

"I mean, if you tell me, I can do something," he said. "We're, well, we're engaged now,"

Cammie sighed, "It's nothing."

Preston gave her a long look before sighing and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Let's get you back to your room, now shall we?" he asked, kissing the side of her head and walking her towards her room.

* * *

Zach laughed as Grant scarfed down the whole bottle of water after doing that dare. Who the hell eats a whole chilli with nothing on the side and survive? Well, Zach might. But he's just the Mexicana food addict, isn't he?

Grant downed the bottle and threw the empty plastic at Zach. He slapped it away. "Why the hell did you make me do that for?" he asked, outraged.

Zach laughed, "Why do you think?"

Grant pouted and crossed his arms, staring out the window. Falling back abruptly, he shouted, "Holy shit! Is that a shark?"

Zach rolled his eyes, looking at the fins and the tail disappearing into the darkness. "We're in the middle of the ocean, Grant," he pointed out the obvious.

Grant laughed, and flopped back down on the bed. "How long does this cruise take?"

Zach shrugged, "Dunno,"

"Well, it better be soon, cause it's getting boring,"

Zach stared, "It's been four hours, Newman."

"So?"

Zach muttered something incoherent and turned off the light, pulling the thin sheets over his body.

* * *

Cammie walked around her room, pulling the pins out of her hair and combing her fingers through the strands, loosening them up. Rachel walked in, leaning against the door.

"Hey mum," Cammie said, giving her mother a small smile. Rachel had changed back into her usual sweats and had ditched the 'perfect' facade.

"Cammie," she greeted, walking into the room and picking up the brush, combing her daughter's hair.

"How much longer?" Cammie asked, sighing. Rachel looked away.

"Soon," she answered, setting the brush down and ushering Cammie towards the bed. Kissing Cammie's forehead as she settled into her bed. Rachel shook her head, "It's going to be soon. I promise," she said.

Cammie gave her mother a glare, "It better be."

Rachel smiled, walking out of the room and turning off the light.

* * *

"So..." Preston said, his arm around Macey's bare shoulders.

"Hmm?" she asked, incoherent. Preston sighed.

"Sorry about dinner," he said. "I, uh, had to do it. My dad made me."

Macey looked at him, "Since when do _you _listen to your dad?" she asked, pulling the sheets over her bare breasts.

"Since now. He threatened to take away my trust fund," he said. "It's not easy being his son."

Macey sighed, leaning up and kissing him on the lips. "Well, you better get back to daddy now, don't you?" she asked, pulling the sheets off the bed and wrapping them around herself. Preston got up and quickly pulled on his jeans while Macey hunted around for her clothes. Finding them, she put them on and bounded over to Preston, a little frazzled, but still fully dressed.

"I love you," Preston said, kissing her softly.

Macey pouted, "If you really love me, then you'd leave _her._"

Preston smiled, "You know that's not an option," he said, pulling her close to him. Looking at Macey's face, he quickly added, "But I'll try."

"Good," she smiled.

* * *

**Rawr. I finished Spirit Bound. It was alright. I still like Shadow Kiss best, though.**

**-so, um, did you like this chapter?  
-ooooh. Preston's cheating on Cammie with Macey. Just another twisted love triangle, isn't it?  
-well, technically, it's a square cos of Zach.  
-oh, um, yeah. Its unbeta-ed. Caz hasn't been online.  
-concrit?  
-what should happen in the next chap?**

**I like kiwi's end quotes. I should do one: **

**lady: **so what's his name?  
**phil: **ben  
**alan: **carlos.

**-the hangover. Forthewin! **

**Catch ya,  
tunarh ;D**


	4. the drowning

**11APRIL2010**

* * *

Cammie stood in front of the mirror, wounding her hair around the curler. The sound of the engines was a distant roar beneath her feet, the ship moving swiftly in the sunlight. Letting the curler go, her hair quickly escaped the metal clutches and fell onto her shoulder. The curls bounced around as she quickly turned off the power and placed it on her dresser.

"Done," Cammie smiled.

She quickly pulled a cardigan over her singlet and made her way into the dining hall. Preston smiled as she sat down and pressed a quick kiss onto her cheek, pulling away quite suddenly. Cammie looked up to see a girl standing in the doorway, glaring daggers at her – or Preston. She didn't know who.

"Who's that?" Cammie asked, nodding towards the girl who turned away. Preston looked up.

"Um, I don't know..." he mumbled. Cammie raised an eyebrow. "She's an old friend. Macey."

She nodded and put down the fork she had picked up. "In that case, let's go say hi."

"What?"

"You heard me. She's an old friend. Let's go and say hi." the brunette demanded. Preston shook his head.

"There's no need." he said, voice strained. "She already knows we're here."

The area around Cammie's eyes tightened. "Is there something I should know about?"

Preston shook his head. "Nope."

Her eyes narrowed, but she let the subject go. Picking up her fork again, she picked at a grape and popped it into her mouth. "How about we do something today?" Cammie asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously, a smile playing at her lips. "Ooh! Let's hit the pool. I swear, I need a tan."

Preston looked amused. "Alright," he smiled. "I'll meet you on the deck in twenty?" Cammie smiled and stood up, pressing a kiss to his cheek before leaving him in the dining hall. Once Cammie was out of sight, Preston stood up and nodded over in Macey's direction. He headed out into the hall and leaned on the wall, hands in pockets, waiting for Macey to come out.

"Preston," a chilly voice greeted. "How are you?"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her into an open door, losing his footing and falling onto a stack of toilet paper rolls. Quickly getting back up, he pushed her against the wall and kissed her roughly.

"Bored. How about you?"

Macey smiled, "Jealous."

"That's good," he replied. "Glad to hear that you've been thinking about me."

Macey laughed, turning away. Then her expression turned serious. "Have you figured out a way to get rid of her yet?"

Preston looked away. "No," he muttered.

"You better find a way soon. Or else everything will be over for you." she said, giving him a soft kiss and stepping over the toilet paper rolls and out the door.

Preston sighed.

* * *

"Mum!" Cammie yelled, walking into her parent's bedroom. "Mum! I need to talk to – _whoa." _she quickly stopped and covered her eyes.

"Cammie!" her mum yelled, whirling around. "What are you _doing _in here?" she asked.

"Um... I just- never mind." Cammie replied quickly, turning around and walking out of the room. Outside, she took a deep breath and gagged. "That was awkward." She quickly snapped out of her haze and started walking down the hall, shaking her head as she went.

"Hey." a voice called out from behind her. Cammie turned around. Zach stood there, arms folded, and a smirk on his face.

"Oh hey." she smiled, walking over and planting herself in front of him. "How've you been?"

"Alright. I didn't sleep last night." he said, laughing. "You look shaken. Anything special happen?"

Cammie looked away. "You don't want to know." she warned.

Zach stared, "It can't be that bad."

"Oh, it is. Have _you _ever walked in on your mum having sex with someone?"

Zach's eyes widened, "Um, maybe not?" he stuttered. "Wow. Um. That's pretty, um, whoa."

"Yep," Cammie agreed, studying the wallpaper on the left of Zach's ear. "I mean, she was on _top_-"

Zach held out his hand. "Spare me the details."

Cammie shut up.

"But, you know... if you really want to, I'm not going to stop you..." Zach trailed off. She laughed.

"Don't worry. It's not like I want to remember that kind of stuff anyway."

Zach smiled. "So... any plans for today?" he asked, leaning against the wall with is arms folded.

"I was thinking of meeting my fiancée later to go for a swim."

"Oh." Zach said. "You're engaged?"

Cammie bit her lip, "Yep. He proposed yesterday at dinner. He's a nice guy, and I like him. I mean, everyone would expect me to accept his proposal..."

"Congratulations." Zach said flatly. Cammie looked up.

"You don't sound happy about it." she smiled. "Anything you want to tell me?"

"It's just... you're so young! And you're already engaged," he said, "To be married," he added quickly.

Cammie looked down. "I know... it's just... I'm 17, Zach. And I'm in no position to date around. Not with my father's job. The paparazzi would be looking into my life constantly. Getting married early seems like the only option for me. And that list isn't exactly long."

"Tell me this first; is it really the right option for you?" he stared at her, his gaze intense. Cammie looked up.

"I don't know."

* * *

Preston walked out into the glare of the sun, shielding his eyes from the sudden brightness. He hurriedly made his way to the top deck where the swimming pool was located. Looking around at the bikini-clad girls and the little children wandering about, he wondered why he'd even agreed with Cammie about coming up here. He could've been with Macey right now. And they could've been under the covers... doing something.

"Miss me?" a voice whispered into his ear. He turned around and wrapped his arms around the slim figure of his fiancée, pressing a kiss to her nose.

"Yes." he replied, tickling her. "Let's go." he smiled, dimples showing. Cammie laughed and walked over to one of the deck chairs. She lay down and looked expectantly at Preston.

"Aren't you going to lay down?" she asked. Preston shook his head and bit his lip.

"I think I'm going for a swim."

Cammie arched an eyebrow. "You can swim?"

"Of course."

"Teach me." she giggled.

Preston looked uncertain. "You sure? I mean, I'm not very good. If something bad happens..."

Cammie rolled her eyes. "One of the reasons why I agreed to your proposal was because I trust you. I'm sure you won't let anything happen to me." she said.

Preston grinned, "Alright. Come on."

Cammie got up and they walked over to the pool.

"So... one of the things that you need to do to stay afloat is to kick. I'll teach you how to tread." he said, guiding her to the ladder and helping her into the water.

"It's cold!" she cried when she touched the water. Preston laughed.

"It's water, Cammie."

"Okay... how do I stay afloat?"

"Didn't I just tell you?"

"I was preoccupied..." she said, looking over at the tanned figure of the smirking boy on the edge of the pool on the opposite side. Preston followed her gaze.

"Who's that?"

"Some guy I met yesterday." she said, clinging onto the edge while Preston climbed in.

"Oh yeah? What's his name?"

She bit her lip, "Zach."

He smiled and swam behind her, gripping her sides and pulling her to the middle of the pool where it was deeper and neither of them could touch the floor.

"Preston! I'm scared!" she yelled when he accidentally let her go. He quickly tightened his grip on her and kept her afloat.

"Calm down first, Cammie," he laughed. "Okay... start kicking your legs. Kind of like riding a bicycle."

She started kicking frantically. Preston laughed, "Slowly," he added. "And move your arms around like this." he demonstrated the arm movements when treading while still keeping a hold of her.

"Like this?" she asked, trying it with one hand. He nodded and smiled.

"You're doing it!" he said gleefully, accidentally letting go again.

"Preston!" she screamed, trying and failing to stay afloat. Preston was dragged underwater by one of Cammie's hands while she tried to keep her head afloat. He pushed her away and surfaced, taking deep gulps of air. Cammie was trying desperately to find something to hold onto to get herself to the surface. The water was eerily dark, and she tried to keep the oxygen in.

Strong arms wrapped around her and she screamed, opening her mouth and letting in water, gagging on it. She was dragged upwards by the arms, and when she finally surfaced, she started coughing and crying. The figure dragged her towards the side of the pool where she clung to the wall and didn't let go.

"T-thanks," she stuttered, coughing again. She looked up to see who it was.

It was Zach.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concern clouding his voice. She gave a small nod and turned around, taking in deep gulps of air.

"Good to know," he said bitterly. Turning around, he searched the pool for Preston. He was watching them from his position in the middle of the pool. He nodded at Preston who swam over.

"Thanks," Preston said, giving Zach a cold look.

"No worries," he said. "I'll, um, leave her to you now."

Preston watched Zach swim away before turning around to face Cammie. "Are you alright?"

"No." she snapped. "Just get me out of here." she said, avoiding his eyes while slowly making her way along the wall towards the ladder.

Preston sighed.

* * *

Cammie plopped down on her bed, still damp from her shower and burst into tears. After experiencing how Preston would push her away to save his own life instead of hers had had a bad effect on her. She buried her face in the pillows and sobbed.

She looked up as a knock on her door sounded and sat up, trying to rub away the tears from her face. "Come in," she said shakily.

Zach walked in, closing the door behind him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Maybe," she said. Zach stared. "Okay, maybe not." she admitted, biting her lip. "Thanks for saving me..." she whispered before bursting into tears again.

Zach wrapped his arms around her and held her against him. "No worries," he said quietly, stroking her hair. "I'm sorry for what happened."

"What?" she lifted her head up. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I just am." he sighed. She gave him a puzzled look but let it go.

"Thanks again. I owe you."

"You do." Zach smiled.

"What do you want? I can give you anything." she said, sitting up and lying against her pillows, still facing him.

Zach pretended to think for a moment, but he knew the exactly what he wanted from her. He smiled mischievously as he turned to face her, "How about... a kiss?"

* * *

**So... I finished it! Whoo! Omfg... its currently 4:13am over here. I'm dying. I can't sleep D:**

**-I'm sorry if this chapter was total **_**suckage**_**, cos dude, it sucks.  
-I made Cammie almost drown. On the titanic. Wow.  
-Should she kiss him?  
-What do you think's gonna happen between Preston and Macey?**

**Quote;**

**Mindy (or whatever the heck her name is): **I'm just fucking with you, daddy.  
**Kick-Ass. **

**Catch,  
Tunarh. **


	5. the tracker

Cammie stared at him. "Zach, I'm engaged. You know that."

He stared at her, "Does it really matter?"

She bit her lip, thinking about it. "I can't, Zach. Not now."

He sighed, and stayed silent. Cammie opened her mouth to say something, but he interrupted her, "Can I have a raincheck on that then?"

She laughed, "We'll see."

They laughed, and she settled into a comfortable stance with Zach around. There was something nagging her though, something bad. Zach was telling her a joke when they were interrupted by a knocking on the door.

"Cammie?" It was Preston's voice, loud and clear, and he sounded pissed.

"Shit," Zach muttered, getting off the bed. "What should I do?"

Cammie looked around frantically, ignoring the continuous knocks on the door. "Under the bed, or off the ship. Your pick."

"What?"

"Hide! Now!"

Zach snapped into action and slid under the bed in one quick movement, and stayed still. Cammie, deciding that he was obscured enough, walked across the room and opened the door to reveal a very impatient-looking Preston. "Listen, I'm really sorry about what had happened and I'd like to make it up to you."

Cammie crossed her arms. "How are you going to do that? I mean, you almost drowned me."

Zach stifled a snicker under the bed. Preston's head snapped up at the sound, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Cammie asked, "Why are you changing the subject?"

Preston stared at her, "Is there anyone in this room?"

"Yes, me and you. Don't you believe me?"

Preston looked uncertain, "I don't know," his lips were in a tight line.

"Fine then," Cammie said, "Consider that little drowning incident not forgiven."

"Come on," Preston said, frantic, "I want to make it up to you."

She gave him a look, "Okay, come back when you think of something. Right now, I need some time to think."

He walked up to her and kissed her softly, "I love you," he said softly.

She smiled, "I love you too," she whispered, staring as he walked out the door.

"That was too close," Cammie said as Zach slid out from under the bed.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Maybe you should go," she looked away, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Zach nodded. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. He looked away, looked at her, and moved forward to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Bye," he said.

She sighed as she watched for the second time, a man walk out the door that night.

* * *

Zach shook his head as he walked back towards his room. What was he thinking? She was the daughter of the head of Morgan Enterprises; not one of those girls he usually fooled around with. If they got caught – Zach didn't want to think of the consequences.

He shook his head as he unlocked the door and walked into his room, crashing on his bed. He stared at the sleeping figure on the other bed, grinned, and threw a shoe at him.

"Ow! What the fuck?" Grant complained loudly. Zach snickered.

"Wake up."

"Yeah, well, in case you haven't noticed, _I'm awake._"

"Seems that way," Zach said. Grant stared grumpily at him. "We need to go something – _I _need to do something."

Grant scratched his head, confused. "Do something about what?" he asked, then sniffed the room, wrinkling his nose at the smell. He picked up a bag from under Zach's bed. "Your laundry needs something done to it, that's for sure."

"Yeah, whatever," Zach waved it off. "One word. The girl of the head of Morgan Enterprises; the company that funded and built this ship."

"Dude, that's way more than one word."

"Yeah, well, I was supposed to say Cammie after that, but then changed my mind because it sounded more dramatic."

"Huh. It was more dramatic, if you wanted to know."

"Yeah, well, back to the point."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Grant asked, flicking on the light. "I can't believe we never saw the switch. Been looking for it for a month."

"Um, Grant, we've been on this ship for approximately three days."

"Yeah, well, my senses are muddled by the sea."

"Whatever," Zach said. "Back to the situation at hand. I like her."

Grant did a double take. "If I had a dime for every time you say that..." he trailed off uncertainly.

"Yeah, well, she's different."

"So were the other 25 girls you've dated since the new year. Dude, it's _April._"

"That was England. I'm a different man now. With different goals." Zach said elaborately, gesturing around him. Grant stared at the decor in the room.

"Suits you."

"Shut up." Zach countered. "C'mon man, aren't you the relationship guru – or whatever you're calling yourself these days?"

"Hey, that was a good name."

"Yeah, well, it didn't get many hits. Sorry, buddy."

Grant shook his head, "Can't help you in this department, man."

"But you're the one with the soon to be wife – what do you call 'ems?"

"Fiancée."

"Yeah, that."

"Sorry, mate. Your relationships tend to be disastrous. With breakups and crying, and the occasional onion here and there."

Zach looked confused, "Onion?"

"Yeah, fake tears and all that. Mainly from you. I'd rather stay away from all of that girl drama."

"Grant, I've known you for almost two decades. Can't you just help me with this one?"

Indecision played on his face.

"Fine," he said. "I'll help you."

"Thanks," Zach grinned.

* * *

Cammie sighed as she logged off her laptop. Despite having free Wi-Fi on the ship, all the programs that she usually accessed were blocked anyway. She was forbidden to use them on the ship. Groaning, she lay back against the pillows and closed her eyes. She used her fingers to rub her temples, trying to get rid of the headache that had settles in her head since all the drama two hours earlier. She thought about how Zach could compel her with just one look. She thought about his cute smirk, the way he held himself when he was nervous – her mind was totally set on him.

The thing that was really bothering her right now though, was the task her mother had set her. It was dangerous, incredibly dangerous – and she had no idea how to complete it. She thought about the main water pipes in the ship. At least the explosives were waterproof. If she planted them there and they exploded, well, the whole ship would be wiped out.

Suddenly, a shocking thought crossed her mind. Zach! And Grant too! They weren't supposed to be on this ship! They never were. And if she didn't get them off in time, then they're going to end up like the rest of the people here. Food for the sharks.

There was a soft knock on the door and Rachel Morgan walked in, holding a small package in her arms. "Hey there, sweetheart," Rachel smiled, walking into the room. "You're not asleep yet?"

"Can't. I've got a massive headache." Cammie groaned, eyeing the package. "Is that for me?" she asked carefully.

Rachel handed her the wrapped package and sat on the edge of the bed. Cammie ripped the wrapping open and opened the box. It was a beautiful necklace with a huge, sparkling diamond heart. "Do you like it?" Rachel asked, smiling.

"Ohmigosh. I don't know what to say..." Cammie trailed off. "It's beautiful. But what's the occasion?"

"It's your tracker." Rachel answered, beaming. "Your father found an incredibly clever way to disguise it."

At the mention of the tracker, Cammie's face dropped. "When is it going to happen?" she asked.

"Two more days. As long as you have this tracker on you on the day, then you'll be fine and we'll get you in the helicopter. The explosives are ready for you in cargo. Be careful, dear. Security's pretty tight down there..."

"I'll be alright," Cammie said sadly. "Hey, mum, would I be able to bring someone with me?"

Her mother stared at her. "Sweetie, you already know that Preston's in on this," her mother replied carefully.

"I know," Cammie said uncertainly. "It's just... I don't know if it's working out anymore."

"Cammie, he proposed to you two days ago!" her mother exclaimed, "How could you be asking these questions already?"

"Mum... I don't really know what's wrong. I just think it's not working out..."

"Sweetie, what's the problem?"

"Well... for starters, he offered to teach me how to swim and completely abandoned me in the middle of the pool and left me to drown," Cammie said exasperatedly. "And I've noticed that he's been sneaking off often, doing God-knows-what, with who-knows-who!"

"Cammie..."Rachel started, trailing off uncertainly as she carefully chose her words. "I understand how you feel. I mean, I've been through this phase of doubt once. But... before you decide anything life-altering, could you please wait until after the mission to do it? I mean, Preston plays a major part in this, and for him to hold a grudge against us... that's extremely dangerous."

Cammie thought for a moment. Could she keep this act up any longer? Surely she could... it was just two days. Two more days of having to stomach Preston's behaviour. Slowly, she nodded her head.

Rachel beamed, pressing a hand to her daughter's cheek. "Thank you, dear," she said. "Now get some rest. Wouldn't want bags under those eyes, would you?" she laughed as she floated out of the room.

Cammie buried her face in her pillows.

* * *

**ooh. twist. cammie's gonna plant bombs :) i'm sorry it took so long. been busy with school and everything. our six week holiday has just finished, and i'm still getting used to school again. RIP to the days that i stayed up till three or four. or pulled all-nighters on D: **

**but yeah, enough about my school/sleeping schedule. about the story: **

**-so... how do you like the annoying yet totally planned out truth?  
-anything you like/don't like about the characters?  
-i tried putting some macey/preston action in but what i typed out sounded M rated so i was like... mehh.  
-what do you reckon cammie should do about the zach-getting-on-the-helicopter business?**

**whatevs. just fiished the whole O.C. series. took me a while, didn't it? i distinctly remember my first episode being the one where marissa died when i was six.  
****ilovesethcohen.**

**ryan: **sometimes, i think you talk just to make noises.  
**seth: **well, sometimes i do.

**the OC. forgot which season. but yeah :D **

**cheers, tunarh ;D **


	6. the mission

**ah, i updated. i'm proud of myself. i'll be more proud if i updated in the next two weeks. just setting my personal goal here. wish me luck! disclaimed. **

* * *

**12APRIL2010**

It was around three in the morning when Cammie woke up. She quickly put on the clothes she had lain carefully on the bed and grabbed the small bag of lightweight but powerful explosives. She exited her room quietly and snuck down the corridors. It was dark on the bed, everyone asleep. The crew were all doing their own thing on the other side of the ship, preparing breakfast.

Quickly, she skirted down the stairs and looked down the corridor. Empty. Good. She turned a corner and pulled a small device out of her pocket. It was a small electronic map of the ship, complete with the whole (update) security system. She scanned it quickly and found out that the water pipes were located at the bottom of the ship, where all the baggage was kept.

She quickly opened the fire door without setting off the alarm and ran down the five flights of stairs. Quickly pulling the door open at the landing, she checked the dank, dark corridor and, after registering it as safe, tip toed down the hallway.

She knew she had to be careful. Cabins were situated along the hallways and she didn't know if these people were awake or not. She froze as a door at the end of the corridor opened, yellow light flooding the hall. She slipped into a nearby janitor's closet and waited for the footsteps to subside.

The door opened.

"What are you doing here?"

She jumped. Zach smirked at her, leaning against the door.

"Oh, exploring the ship."

"In all black? How cliché. You haven't been sneaking around, have you? Seeing someone behind my back?" he chuckled lightly.

She smiled tightly. "No, um, I'm not seeing anyone. Uh, I have to go now..." she tried to get past, but he blocked her way.

"What do you have in that bag?" he asked, making a move for it. She quickly slid it out of his way.

"It's nothing. I really have to go, Zach." she pleaded.

"Cammie, what's wrong?" he asked, concern clouding his voice. "I could help..." he suggested.

"No, Zach, you can't help! That's the problem. No one can. And if I fail..." she cried, "Something bad is going to happen. You shouldn't be on this ship! You and Grant... not supposed to be on this ship! And you're going to die because of me..."

Zach reached out and steadied her. "Whoa, whoa, calm down. What's wrong?"

"I can't tell you..." Cammie cried. "I really really can't."

"Cammie..."

"Just let me go, Zach. I'm going to finish this. Once and for all." she quickly picked up the bag off the floor and took off for the elevator. Quick change of plans. She was going to do something that would save them all.

* * *

Rachel quickly moved over to her desk and opened her laptop. She clicked through the files on the computer, and opened up the one she was looking for. The picture featured the pool onboard the ship, with Preston and Cammie in the middle. She clicked through the screenshots, trying to find the one she was looking for.

_Ah, there it is. _

It was the young boy, holding Cammie in his arms as he helped her up, helping her towards the edge. He was around her age, maybe a bit older, and very well built. He was glaring at Preston, but she could see concern in his eyes. Concern for her daughter. Preston, she realised, was off to the side, watching everything unfold maliciously. He was trying to hide a smile. But the boy... she smiled. He was something, that's for sure.

_He could be a great asset to our company, _Rachel thought. She dragged the screenshots onto a USB and turned off the laptop, smiling.

_Time to go hunting, _she smiled. But that would have to wait until later. Now, she needed to let her daughter do her job.

* * *

Cammie zipped up the stairs to the deck, and sprinted for the stern. She ignored the sign warning her about dangers in the area and walked to the barrier. Throwing the bag of explosives aside, she grabbed onto the railing and stared at the murky waters underneath. She could slightly see the propellers and closed her eyes, her head spinning.

"Cammie!" Zach called from behind her. "What's wrong? What are you doing?" he asked. She ignored him and clutched the railing tighter, bracing herself.

"Just leave, Zach. I don't want you to see this." she said through gritted teeth. "They're criminals, Zach. All criminals..." she muttered.

Understandably, Zach was confused. He was staring at her like he'd never seen her before.

"What's happening, Cammie? What are you afraid of so much?" he asked, stepping forward. "And what's in the bag?" he asked, glancing at the blue duffel warily.

Cammie's laugh was strangled. "Oh, you don't want to know, Zach." she said, trying to control her breathing. "If I tell you, you would never look at me the same way."

"What's in there?"

"I can't tell you..." she said softly, the harsh wind of the ocean whipping her hair around. "Look, Zach. Just... go away." she whispered.

Zach stared at her. "I can't."

Cammie turned away and stared at the water once more, wishing she could just dive in and lose herself in it. She didn't want to live her life anymore. Not with this weighing her down. She stepped up on the first railing.

"What are you doing?" Zach asked so fast that his words blurred together. He took another step forward so that he was a metre away from her.

"Something I should've done long ago..." she said, bracing herself. She stepped up the next one, letting go of the railing with her hands. She was now balanced precariously. One leg had slid itself over to the other side so half of her body was exposed to the body of water looming up before her.

"Don't do this. You don't want to do this..." Zach pleaded her. He'd stayed frozen to the spot as he watched the scene unfold before his very eyes.

"Oh, trust me, I want to." she braced herself for a second, and threw herself off, eyes closed. She fell, waiting for the water to hit her face like a tonne of bricks.

Only it didn't.

Something had grabbed her hand from the other side and was now trying to hoist her up. Zach.

"Let go!" she yelled.

Zach ignored her, and started pulling up. She struggled to slip her hand free but he was just too strong.

"Zach!"

"Cammie, I'm not going to let you go. Whatever this is... I'll help you through it." he said. Her arm was now on the side of safety.

"You don't know what it is. You have no idea..." she cried. "My mum's a controlling bitch, my fiancée is a cheating bastard, and my ancestors have thrown me into a career that I want nothing to do with!" she yelled.

Zach had hoisted the rest of her body up by now and pulled her over, both collapsing on each other. He quickly flipped over so that she was underneath him, wrists pinned, his body weight holding her down.

"Cammie. Stop struggling. Look, the things that are happening with your family and life... I can't do anything about it. But if you just trust me. Just _trust _me. We will get through this together. I'll be your anchor. I'll stand by you through anything. Just give me a chance. And I will." Zach said softly, though the urgency in his voice was evident.

Cammie hesitated, biting her lip. "Okay," she said softly, tears pouring down the side of her face. Zach got off her and helped her up, pulling her close to his body and wrapping his arms around her.

"You'll be okay," he whispered into her hair. She whimpered and nuzzled his neck. He sighed.

This night was full of surprises.

* * *

Zach groaned groggily and opened one eye. It was 9:30 in the morning, and someone was rapping on the door impatiently. He threw a pillow at the bunk next to his and heard someone groan.

"Open the door, Grant," he said, voice muffled through the pillow.

"Fuck off."

He sighed and shook his head, getting up and picked up a shirt from the floor. He quickly pulled it on and ignored the continuous rapping. Walking over to the table, he grabbed a glass of water and downed it before opening the door.

It was Rachel Morgan.

"Um, hi." he greeted, confused. She smiled tightly and stared up at Zach with a grim expression on his face.

"Zachary." she said, pushing past him into the cabin.

"Mrs Morgan," Zach said, offering her the only chair in the room. "Uh, would you like, maybe, uh, water?"

"Oh, no thanks. I was here to see you about Cammie. I trust that you know my daughter? You did save her from drowning in a pool the other day."

"Yeah, I know Cammie..." Zach said cautiously.

"Well, how about I offer you a job?" she said, smiling.

Confused, Zach scratched his head. "Uh, what has this got to do with Cammie?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Rachel replied curtly. She straightened out the skirt of her dress and got up.

"Let me know..." she said, before turning around and walking to the door.

"Hold on, wait," Zach called. "What's the job, exactly?"

"Meet me on the deck at midnight tonight, and you'll find out." she said. "Oh, and wear black." She exited the room, closing the door softly behind her.

"What the fuck was that?" Grant asked, sitting up. He had been hiding under his blanket, making it seem as if no one was in the room.

"I have no idea. But I'm going to find out." he said, grabbing a towel and turning into the bathroom.

* * *

**so, uh, yeah. finally update :D i'll try my best to plan out the next chapters and update them :D and then i'll work on GGGG and WLS and maybe contribute a oneshot for kiwiosity's THE CHALLENGE :D **

**yeah. not bothered writing the thingsyoushouldknow/questions thing. so, yeah, same as usual. traditional. i like tradition :D**

**sorry i haven't been on in a while. i really need to update my stories more often, don't you think? i reckon i'd do a better job at updating if there were more reviews. you know... just saying :D**

**so, yeah, hope to see you soon. and watch out for the first chappie/trailer of a little story me and drey (kiwiosity) are writing. which reminds me... i need to docx her my bit :D **

**whoops. **

**quote;  
j: **you know what mcdonald's is, right?  
**m: **yeah, of course. we're all there. like here. you know. getting tested or whatnot. well, she's not. she's eating. but you're interrogating me on it, aren't you?  
**me: **oh hey, isn't mcdonald's a fish market?

bahahaha, work today 8)

**catch ya ;D **


	7. the confession

.

* * *

Zach waited until it was a quarter to twelve to get ready. Once he had changed into his black clothing, he stuck his head out of the door to make sure the coast was clear and nodded to Grant before leaving.

"Good luck," he heard his friend mutter as he closed the door behind him.

"Let's hope so," Zach whispered before casually making his way towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. They were deserted. Everyone had settled back into their cabins to get ready for bed. Most of the staff had finished cleaning up the dinnerware by now and had all settled back into their respective chambers.

He made his way up to the deck and skirted around the perimeter, searching for Rachel. When he finally reached the stern, he stopped. There was a small crowd of people, all hanging around and chatting quietly. Many of them were dressed in black, save for some of the women who were dressed in evening dresses, having not changed since dinner earlier that evening.

"Zachary!" Rachel Morgan called out, smiling and beckoning him towards her. He warily made his way there, studying some of the men cautiously. They were all very well built and some of them even looked like they belonged on WWE. Zach couldn't help but realise that he'd never seen any of these people before. He smiled at Rachel as he approached her, feeling very out of place next to everyone else.

"Mrs Morgan," he greeted. She gave him a quick hug.

"So glad you made it, Zach," she said warmly, steering him around to face everyone. "Everyone, this is Zachary Goode, son of the late Joseph Goode. He's our newest recruit."

Everyone looked surprised; some even impressed. They nodded enthusiastically, some even waving and mumbling back a quick 'hello'.

Zach turned to Rachel. "How did you know that was my father's name?"

Rachel shrugged, "I have connections."

"What kind of connections?" Zach questioned.

"Look, Zach. I haven't been completely honest with you. Let's take a walk."

Zach stared after her as she walked away before shrugging and heading towards her. His hands stayed permanently fixed in his pocket and she shivered against the cold, watching his breath come out in small wisps.

"So you wanted to tell me something?" he asked, stopping by the railing, watching Rachel as she stared out across the wide expanse of ocean.

"Yes," she began hesitantly. "What I'm about to tell you must be kept a secret. _Especially _from Cammie." she looked over at him with her piercing blue eyes, studying him.

He felt small under her gaze.

"I promise." he gulped.

"I am not who you think I am. Neither is Cammie. If she knew what I was telling you right now, she'll… let's just say, she'll 'flip it'."

Zach felt his throat close up and his hands go clammy.

"I'm a spy. And so is Cammie. We're working to overthrow the Winters'. All these people over there," she gestured over to those who were standing on the deck, "are our allies. My husband knows nothing about this and I plan to keep it that way."

Zach was speechless.

"I'll send a file down to you in the morning containing all of the details. We need you, Zach. I assume you know who your father is?"

"What does my dad have to do with any of this?"

"I'm guessing you don't know either. And I'm guessing you haven't seen him in almost 13 years, am I right?"

"How did you know?"

"I worked with him. He was killed on a mission in 2006. I'm sorry, Zach."

He suddenly felt dizzy. Really dizzy.

"Look, I know that this is a lot of information to take in right now, Zach. I'm sorry to have sprung this on you so quickly. Go back to bed for now, I'll send everything down in the morning. In that file, you'll have any information on the Winters' that you would need, along with your mission objective."

"What do I have to do?"

"Putting it simply, all you have to do is to protect Cammie. Can you do that, Zach?"

He gulped, eyes shifting nervously before he gave an uncertain nod.

"I'm trusting you on this, Zach. You're the only person that Cammie fully trusts right now. I need you to read your mission objective and complete it."

"Okay." he said anxiously.

"You can go now."

* * *

**13APRIL2010**

Cammie groaned, rolling over as her mother waltzed into the room and pulled the curtains open, bright sunlight flooding into the room.

"Mum!" she yelled.

"Rise and shine, pumpkin!" her mother greeted with a winning smile. "I assume everything is in place?" Rachel asked, eyeing her daughter carefully.

Cammie nodded, trying to shield the light from her eyes with her arm. "Everything's in order. It's ready to go off this evening at 7pm."

"Good, I knew I could trust you." Rachel said, pressing a kiss to her daughter's temple before walking towards the door. "Now get dressed for breakfast. You only need to keep up this façade for another 12 hours."

Cammie watched her mother close the door, clutching a file in her hand. She raised an eyebrow curiously before jumping out of bed and stumbling into the bathroom, splashing cool water on her face.

God, she looked _horrible. _

There were huge bags under her eyes, not to mention the amount of makeup smudged around them made her resemble a giant panda. She shook her head before grabbing a cotton pad, wiping away the makeup.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Rachel tried to avoid the numerous stragglers walking the halls on the bottom level. They were merely sacrificial lambs used in this ploy to end the Winter's enterprise. They meant nothing to her. But Zach… he was different, he was special.

As cliché as that sounded.

She clutched the file safely under her arm, keeping her chin up as the other people around her watched her strut down the hall as if it were a runway. Stopping in front of the door with the peeling paint, she rapped three times and waited, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone there.

"Mrs Morgan," Zach greeted, gesturing for her to come in. She shook her head and kept her feet planted where they were.

"I don't have long. Take this," she said, shoving the file into his hands. "Do not let anyone see this. _Anyone. _Otherwise you could suffer serious consequences."

"Okay,"

"Good luck, Zach," she patted his shoulder before walking away.

He closed the door before taking the file inside and flipping it open.

* * *

**To: **Zachary William Goode  
**From: **Rachel Morgan

**Objective: **You are to keep Cameron Ann Morgan safe at all times during the hours starting midnight on the 14th of April, 2010 until further notice is issued. All the files that you may need have been enclosed with this letter. _This is to remain TOP SECRET at all times. _Any breach of this order, and you will be immediately eliminated.

* * *

Zach flipped through all of the files and case studies regarding the Prestons and any of their accomplices. Turns out that most of their company was on board this ship, almost taking up 80% of the people on here. He didn't know what the main aim of this whole 'mission' was about, but he had a distinct idea that it had something to do with the ship and him helping Cammie escape it. He sighed, closing the file and setting it down before running a hand through his hair. How was he going to keep Cammie safe? He wasn't trained at all. He didn't know anything about being an operative or whatever Rachel had called him. And, as much as he'd like to think he did, he didn't know Cammie at all. Sure, he knew the rumours about her and all of the information that Jonas had given him, but other than that, he knew scat. He didn't know her history, her background, her personality. None of that.

He was going to fail, he just knew it.

* * *

"Look, Preston. I really don't want to talk to you right now. Can we do this later?" Cammie said through gritted teeth. Preston stared at her, fear in his eyes. He didn't want to lose her, not like this.

His father was going to kill him.

"I'm sorry Cammie! I never thought that you'd find out this way." He apologised, trying to catch one of her hands in his. She yanked it away, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Find out what way, Preston? I walk into your room, expecting you to be ready for our dinner with my parents tonight and I see you sucking face with this slut?" she gestured towards a bored looking Macey who was leaning against the wall, barely clothed.

"Don't drag _me _into your little lover's tiff," she yawned, looking around for her pants. "You guys sort it out, I'm outta here," she said, winking at Preston before sauntering out of the room.

Cammie glared at him.

He held up his hands defensively. "I can't control what she does. She forced me into doing this. Plus, I'm a guy. What was I supposed to do when a half-naked girl climbs into my bed?"

"You know what, Preston Winters? You're an absolute _dick._ I don't know why I agreed to marry you."

"C'mon babe. We can work this out," he said in a sickly tone. Cammie tried not to gag.

"You can go and work it out with your little slut. I'm out."

She slammed the door as she made her dramatic exit, feeling suddenly lightweight and carefree.

* * *

"Whoa, why are you so happy?" Zach asked, catching Cammie's arm as she passed him in the hallway.

"I just broke it off with that asshole of a fiancée."

"Seriously?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Cammie nodded, smiling, a twinkle in her eyes.

"Well, good for you then." He grinned.

They stared at each other for a little while before Zach broke the silence awkwardly scratching his neck as he did, "Hey, look. I was about to go and ask you if you wanted to grab some dinner? Then maybe we can go back to your room and play monopoly or something?"

"Sounds great," she smiled.

* * *

"You know, I've never actually seen a lobster that big in my life?" Cammie said, pulling off her blazer before plopping down on her bed. Zach laughed as he closed the door and fell onto the bed beside her.

"Me neither. And those prawns? Damn, they were massive!" He giggled, slightly inebriated by the alcohol running through his body.

"Oh my gosh, the best part had to be that chocolate fondue that we all but inhaled. I bet the waiters thought we were crazy!" Cammie laughed, throwing her head back. She rolled onto her side and studied his face; the slight stubble indicating that he had forgotten to shave this morning, the perfectly sloped nose, and the insanely long eyelashes that all that brushed his cheek every time that he blinked. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or not, but he was, well… beautiful.

"Definitely," he said, before turning onto his side to face her.

She leaned in closer to him, as did he. They were mere inches from each other. Cammie could smell the alcohol on his breath, laced with the mint that he had just eaten. She pressed her lips against his, getting lost in the moment as Zach pulled her on top of him, placing his hands on her hips to balance her. She leaned down, grazing her nose with his before kissing him once more.

Zach watched as she grinned down at him, feeling a weird sensation spread through his body. "Cammie…" he breathed, staring at her smiling face. "I don't know how to say this… I don't know you. I don't know anything about you, I don't know about your history or anything. This may sound, I dunno, weird."

She rolled her eyes, laughing. This made dimples appear on her cheeks and he reached up a finger to poke them, sending her into another fit of giggles. "Just say it," she said, getting all serious again.

"I kind of love you."

* * *

***Cue drumroll* **

**Holy shit, I updated, haha. I'm sorry about the delay. I've just been focusing a lot more on school and tumblr. Not a good mix, I know, but it worked out.**

**I'm going to be trying to update this more frequently now. My tests are over, so there should be a few weeks of nirvana before I fall into a busy schedule again. **

**What did you guys think? **

**-tunarh xo**


	8. the attack

**14APRIL2010**

**::**

Cammie adjusted her blazer as she walked down one of the hallways, playing nervously with the bracelets on her wrist. She strutted down the hall, glancing in any reflected surface she could fine to see if she looked alright.

Today was the day. Everything was going accordingly to plan; it was all set for 9pm tonight, right after everyone had settled in for dinner. They were still around two days away from America so the chance of anyone reaching them in a matter of hours was slim to none. That and they would be blasting any form of communication into smithereens.

She paused in front of the deep brown mahogany doors, taking a deep breath before raising her fist to knock on the carefully polished wood. An expressionless face belonging to and old man with a giant moustache greeted her, ushering her in before checking the hallway to see if anyone had seen her walk in. Satisfied with the outcome, he closed the door behind her and locked it, gesturing for her to walk in through another set of doors into the conference room.

"Cammie dear! I'm glad you made it!" A man named Edward Townsend piped up from the head of the table. He was a very alluring and charming man, somewhere in his late 20s, with a handsome face and an excellent fashion sense. Today, he was sporting a deep purple suit made from a sheeny fabric paired with a crisp white button down top with the top two buttons undone, a white handkerchief tucked into the breast pocket, completing the outfit. He had no tie or bowtie on, and yet managed to look as fit as hell.

He was hot. Even if he was around eight years older than her.

"Hey Ed," Cammie greeted casually, walking over and taking a seat next to the man. He shot her a smile and a wink before turning back to the table. Cammie avoided eyes with her mother whose gaze was burning a hole through the side of her head.

Oh, she definitely knew about Zach being in her room that night.

* * *

"_I kind of love you." _

_Cammie's eyes widened, her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes widening as she stared into the depth of Zach's dark grey eyes. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't tear her eyes away. _

"_Zach," she breathed, biting her lip nervously. Zach sighed, running a hand through his hair before tearing his eyes away from hers. She felt lightheaded as she tried to process the millions of thoughts running through her head. _

"_Look, Cammie. You don't have to say anything right now. I understand that it's too soon, but I just wanted it out there," he said hesitantly, eyes trailing around the room, studying her various possessions. Finally, his eyes reached the television which was broadcasting an American TV channel. It looked like a reality TV Show. From what he could gather from the six seconds that he had spent focused on it, a couple were having a fight and the guy was trashing the girl's (and his, apparently) room, upending the bed while his roommate (also residing in the same room, what the fuck) tried to stop him. _

_Cammie raised her hand up to his chin, pulling it around to face her. "Listen to me, Zach." She reached for the remote, turning off the TV so that they sat, staring at each other in complete silence. Zach looked lost, trying to avoid her piercing gaze. _

"_Yeah?" _

"_I'm a very dangerous person to be around, Zach." Cammie said softly, chewing on her bottom lip. "I don't deny that I have feelings for you too-" _

"_Wait, you do-?" _

"_Wait, Zach. Let me finish first. But yes, I do like you. I like you a lot, actually," she smiled softly. "But as I've said before, I'm a very dangerous person to be around." _

_Zach tried to feign innocence. "What do you mean, dangerous?" _

"_I can't tell you the details right now." _

"_Then don't tell me the details. Tell me what you can… just not detailed." _

"_You realise that didn't make any sense whatsoever right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged. _

"_I never really make any sense when I'm with you babe," he winked, smirking. _

_Cammie rolled her eyes, laughing along. "There's something I have to do. It's pretty important, and my life could be on the line, but it is crucial that I complete it, otherwise I risk destroying a bigger and more important plan. I don't expect you to understand, Zach. I just need you to respect the fact that I have things to do which could potentially harm you if you knew about them." _

_Zach nodded, confused. "What exactly are you trying to say here, Cam? Do you want me to leave you alone?"_

_Cammie shook her head sadly. "As much as I want you to, just so you could be safe, I don't think I'd be able to let you go. Not that easily anyway." _

"_I'm not going anywhere," Zach said, a seriousness in his voice that sent chills down her back. "I'm here for you Cammie, no matter what," he pulled her into his arms, lying down so her head was against his chest. Any previous lustful feelings they may have had were long forgotten, both too entranced by the situation to have any other care in the world. _

"_I want this all to be over." She whispered softly, letting a tear escape from the corner of her eye._

"_It will, babe. For now, just sleep," he whispered, running his fingers through her hair._

* * *

"Preston, I hope you realise what is at stake here…" Mr Winters said, strutting around the room, glaring at Preston. "When I told you to propose to the Morgan girl, I expected you to complete it… _without failure._"

"I'm sorry dad. She's… a pretty difficult woman," Preston laughed nervously from his position on the armchair. His father walked over to the winter and studied the surroundings.

"I expect you to get back with the girl. Do whatever it takes." The older man snapped, flicking his eyes over to his son. "This cannot be messed up. They're up to something… I can sense it."

"What do you want me to do, dad? She refuses to talk to me…" Preston trailed off.

"Find her weaknesses. Keep her close to you at all times. Notice if she's scheming or not… I want you to keep her on this ship even if your life depended on it. I can sense that their company is trying to destroy us, and when they do, it will happen on this ship. Always keep her in the line of fire."

"Yes father," Preston muttered, running a hand through his hair. This was going to be hard.

"Oh, and Preston?" his father said, turning to leave. "Get rid of that boy she's been hanging around…"

* * *

Rachel studied Cammie curiously as they ate at lunch, wonder on her face. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Hm?" Cammie asked, snapping out of her daze. "Oh, uh, nothing…"

"You know I'm here if you wanted to talk or anything, right?"

"Of course, mum." Cammie smiled, popping a grape into her mouth. "Oh, and I was about to tell you… I broke things off with Preston yesterday…"

"What? Why?" Rachel asked.

"He was cheating on me…" she answered, voice unwavering.

"Well I daresay you did the right thing, sweetie," Rachel said, shocked. She wanted Cammie close to Preston… what was the saying? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. But if it was the happiness of her daughter, Rachel was willing to do anything. "A woman should never stay around a man who is unfaithful…"

"Wait, you're not mad?"

"Why would I be?"

"I mean, you're the person who encouraged me to be with him in the first place…" Cammie said, chewing nervously on her lip.

"Darling, I support whatever decision you make if it guarantees you your happiness." Rachel grinned. Cammie breathed a sigh of relief, the worry that her mother would not approve of her breaking things off with Preston lifting.

"Thanks, mum. I love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart. And I've been noticing that you've been hanging around this boy… Zachary, am I correct?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

"How did you know about that?" Cammie asked, surprised, a blush creeping up on her face.

"I'm observant," Rachel laughed. Her daughter looked down at the table.

"I think I like him, yeah." Cammie said finally after a few moments. "That was why I was asking about the helicopter and stuff…" she said, looking up at her mum. Rachel hesitated.

"I'll try." she said finally. Cammie sighed, relieved and smiled at her mother.

"How are my two beautiful ladies?" Geoffrey Morgan boomed, taking a seat at the table next to the two.

"Hi dad," Cammie grinned, getting up and placing a kiss on his cheek. "I have to go, but we'll talk later, alright?" she asked, waving at her mother and walking away.

Everything was finally working out.

* * *

"Look Preston, I don't see what the bother is. She's irrelevant. What matters is that we're together now," Macey grinned, snuggling up to his figure on the bed.

"I have to get her back," Preston said finally. "My dad will kill me if you don't."

"Fuck your dad." Macey said viciously, sitting up and wrapping the sheets around her body more securely. "Why do you have to obey every single word that comes out of his mouth?"

"He's the source of my income, Mace." Preston sighed.

"Well, go against him. What's in my trust fund will be enough for the both of us in America. Disobey your dad for once in your life and come away with me. Imagine all the things we could do…" she said dreamily. Preston sighed, rolling his eyes. He was really getting sick of this girl.

"No Macey. It won't be enough. I don't want to taint my name."

"What name?" she scoffed. "The only name you have is the one your father made for you. If you start fresh, you could be recognised for so much more of what you've done rather than what you've inherited from your dad."

"You don't get it, do you?" Preston snapped, getting pissed off now. "My name is everything. If I'm seen with you, I would not be Preston Winters, heir of the empire that is the Winter's corporation. I would be Preston Winters, who plays around with the McHenry slut."

Macey's eyes widened. "You're a dick."

"And you love mine."

Macey's eyes widened. "I thought what we had was real. All those times you said you love me… and made me believe it. What was I thinking?"

"I only said them to get you into bed. Don't fool yourself into thinking that what we had was going to become something. You're sadly mistake, sweetie."

"You asshole," Macey said, pulling on her clothes. "I don't know why I wasted time with you. No wonder why Cammie left you for that Zach boy. At least he's more of a man than you are."

Preston's eyes narrowed. "Get out of here, slut. Before I call security on you."

"You and your pindick can go fuck themselves." She yelled, slamming the door behind her as she left.

"Women are nuts…" Preston muttered to himself, falling back on the bed tiredly. "I need to get her back, and in order to do that, I have to kill that fucker she's with."

* * *

_Meet me on the deck at 7:45pm tonight? I have a surprise for you… -Z _

Cammie smiled at the note that was pinned to her dresser mirror, making a mental note in her head. Everything was set to go off at nine. She hoped that whatever Zach had planned wasn't going to go overtime.

* * *

Zach grinned as he studied himself in the mirror. He had on dark jeans, a black v neck and a blazer pulled over all of that. He was planning to surprise Cammie tonight with a quite sappy yet romantic date on the ship. He laughed at himself, surprised by how whipped he'd become. If anyone had told his former self that he'd be going towards extreme measures like this to make a girl happy, he'd have laughed in their face.

"You look dapper," Grant said, glancing up from the magazine he was reading.

"Too much?" Zach asked, rolling up the sleeves of the blazer.

"Who cares?" Grant replied. "Since when do you care about what you look like anyway?"

Zach raised an eyebrow at him. "Um, since I discovered girls?" he asked. "Why haven't you been slagging around?"

"I have a fiancé," Grant said pointedly.

"Ah, a committed man. What has our Grant become?" Zach grinned wickedly. "Well, I'd say it's a good thing you're faithful to her. We know that Bex could throw you off a building if she wanted to…" he laughed.

Grant gave him the finger as a reply.

"Well, I better go. Wish me luck." Zach winked, heading out the door.

"I hope it goes terribly!" Grant called as he shut the door. Zach chuckled to himself, walking down the deserted hallway towards the stairs that would lead him up to the deck.

Suddenly, something grabbed him. He tried to escape the clutches of whoever it was, but a punch landed on his face, making him see stars. His eyes adjusted enough to see who his attacker was. Preston.

"You fucker," was the last thing he said before everything went black.

* * *

**I apologise for this chapter being shit, but I updated, hey? :)  
Tell me what you guys think? And are there any more loose ends that are in need of tying up? :D**

**X, Tina. **


	9. the explosion

**.**

* * *

**7:45PM.**

Cammie snuggled up under her woollen cardigan, watching as her breath came out in wispy clouds of mist, evaporating into the air before she could really take a good look at it. The sun was just setting, causing the water to shimmer happily, contrasting brilliantly against the pink, purple, orange and blue toned sky.

She took her phone out of her pocket, checking the time wonderingly. Zach was usually on time, sometimes even early to their meetings. What was taking him so long?

She rubbed her hands together and headed towards the railing, peering over the edge at the water splashing against the side of the ship. It looked cold. She then mentally slapped herself for even thinking that. They were in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but water surrounding them. Of course it'd be cold. Well duh.

She shook her head, chastising herself, and went to take a seat on one of the metal benches.

…

Zach cursed under his breath as the world came into focus. He was tied up, seated in a chair, in a dark, dank room that probably belonged at the very bottom of the darned ship. He was going to kill that Preston Winters kid.

His eyes assessed the room, seeing that the only escape he had was the door that was immediately in front of him. If only he could get out of these bindings… They were the plastic cuffs that seemed so popular these days, seeing as they cinched tightly to the skin, making struggling a lot more painful than handcuffs did.

That didn't mean that he didn't try though.

…

* * *

**8:00PM.**

Cammie sighed, once again checking her phone for the time. 15 minutes and counting. Zach was never late. Not once in their brief time together had he been late for any meeting that they may have had… which made her wonder… was something wrong? Everything seemed a bit off.

The light was quickly fading, the sun finalising its descent into the horizon. Cammie loosened her grip from the cold railings and sighed, turning around to lean against it, watching the deck. The people who had mingled there for smoke breaks or fresh air after dinner were slowly making their way back inside – into their heated rooms and warm beds.

They were definitely in for a shock later on in the night…

Cammie searched up and down the deck for any sign of Zach, but, seeing no one, decided to make her way down to his room to see where he could've gone to.

…

Zach sighed, giving up on struggling. For the past 15 minutes, all he'd done was try to get out of the stupid plastic cuffs. For someone who was going to inherit more than a billion dollars, Preston seemed like a cheap ass who couldn't afford to buy something more stylish – say, handcuffs. Those would've been easier to escape, but then again, letting Zach escape probably wasn't his main goal, was it?

Beads of sweat were running down his face, and he was already feeling physically and mentally worn from his repeated attempts at escaping. Even if he did manage to get out of his confines, there was still the matter of the locked door and the high possibility of it being guarded by a dude with a gun.

Should probably stop watching so many spy movies, Zach thought wryly.

…

* * *

**8:15PM**

"So you haven't seen him anywhere?" Cammie repeated, watching as Grant shook his head meekly. He was leaning against the doorframe, looking tired and dishevelled.

"Nope," he replied. "Dear Zachary left around half an hour ago to see you, apparently. Don't know where he could've gone."

"This is the _Titanic_, for God's sake. Even the name says it. This place is enormous. Where could he have gone?" she cried. A strange feeling coursed through her. Something was definitely off.

"Dunno," Grant shrugged. "I'm sorry I can't be much help. But all he told me was that he was going to be meeting you on the deck. He seemed pretty excited for it too, so I would see no reason for him to head somewhere else… Do you think something happened to him?" Grant asked, looking around worriedly.

Cammie couldn't help but crack a smile at the 'excited' comment. It was adorable – Zach was adorable. And if something happened to him… well, she'd blame herself. Seeing as the reason she was on this ship wasn't exactly for innocent purposes.

Where could he possibly be?

…

Zach wriggled around in the chair, trying desperately to break free of the bindings. After a few more minutes, he sighed, giving up and slumping into his chair. He was never going to be able to get out of here.

Thirty minutes had no doubt passed since the time he was supposed to meet up with Cammie, and she was probably wondering where he was. Shit, he needed to get up there now.

Suddenly, the door opened, the light from the hallway spilling into the room. Whoever had come in was just a black shape against the bright light, features barely distinguishable against the glare.

"Zachary Goode," the voice spoke up. Whoever it was – Zach was still struggling to make out who it was – closed the door and leaned against the far wall. "You've caused my boss a fair bit of trouble."

"Who are you?" Zach spat, glaring at the figure. They stepped away from the shadows, closer to Zach.

"I work for Preston Winters," the man (well, Zach assumed it was a man, seeing as a woman would need quite a deep voice to match this person's) answered.

"Great. Good for you." Zach snapped back. "Now will you let me go?"

"No."

"Okay, cool. What do you want from me?"

"I want you to stay away from Cameron Morgan." he said simply. Zach could finally make out some features. He was quite tall, of European – probably Italian – background and was either growing a beard, or had forgotten to shave for three days. Probably the former.

"And why should I do that? Why should I do anything for that son of a bitch?" Zach spat.

"If you want to keep her safe, you'd stay away." The man answered.

"What would I be keeping her safe from, exactly?"

Shit, he was definitely going to fail this mission.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the man smirked.

"Wait, so what exactly are you aiming to do, keeping me here?"

"We want you away from Cameron…" the man began, pausing with a grin. "And in order to do that, we'd have to kill you."

…

* * *

**8:30PM**

Cammie walked down the various hallways on the very bottom level of the ship, searching in the rooms for Zach but to no avail. There was no way she was going to allow him to stay on this ship if the explosives were going to go off in half an hour.

She didn't think she'd survive.

She glanced down at her phone as it rang, her mum's name flashing across the screen. Cammie sighed irritably. She didn't want to pick it up, but she knew the consequences could be terrible if she didn't.

"Yes mum?" she answered.

"Cammie, where are you?" her mum's frantic voice carried down the line. "We need to go. Now."

"What?" Cammie asked, turning around and opening another door to face an empty room. "Why?"

"They figured it out. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. The helicopter's waiting for us on the roof."

"No, mum. There's something I need to do first."

"What could possibly be more important than saving yourself, Cammie?" her mum snapped from the other end. "Get up here now."

"I think they have Zach," Cammie said firmly. "I don't care what you want mum. But if they have Zach, then it's my fault. And I can't have that on my conscience."

"Cammie, leave him. You knew the sacrifice when you got to know him. We need to go. _Now._ I'll be waiting on the roof." And with that, her mother clicked off.

Cammie stood there for a moment, contemplating whether she should just abandon Zach and save herself. But she couldn't do that. She mentally kicked herself for even _thinking_that. There was no way she was going to let him get hurt. He was completely innocent. And she was going to get him out of here alive, whether it killed her or not.

…

"So when are you going to kill me?" Zach asked, bored.

"I won't need to. Your precious little girlfriend has already organised for that to happen." The guy answered.

"What do you mean?" Zach asked, confused.

The man smirked. "So she doesn't tell you everything, does she?" he asked, pacing the room. "She decided to plant explosives in the ship's pipes, so once the clock hits 9PM… everything will go _boom."_

"What?"

"Are you mentally challenged or what?"

"You know, for a bad guy, you pretty impatient."

The guy didn't answer.

"So are you going to shoot me or not?"

"If it stops you from talking, then yes." He laughed.

"Do it then."

Zach tensed, waiting for the shot to fire.

…

* * *

**8:45PM.**

Cammie was getting desperate now. She'd searched the entire bottom two levels of the ship, but there was still no sign of Zach. There were 20 missed calls from her mother, five from Townsend, and various more from her father and the others on the team. They were going to try to search for her soon. She knew her mother wouldn't leave without her. She'd drag her back kicking and screaming if she had to.

And Cammie couldn't let that happen.

"Cammie," a voice drawled from behind her. She whipped around, only to come face to face with a smirking Preston.

"What are you doing here?"

"Taking in the sights, I guess." Preston shrugged, gesturing around.

"There's nothing to take in," Cammie stared. "Now, will you kindly move, so I can continue on with my life?"

"You should probably enjoy it while you can."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means." Preston said simply, not budging from his place in front of her. "Oh, and you should probably double the enjoying you do, seeing as someone's is going to end soon."

"What?"

"Not such a bright lightbulb, are you?" Man, the guy was definitely crazy.

"Can you please stop speaking like a crazy person and tell me what's going on?" she asked, frustrated.

"Your dear boytoy… well, he's been subdued," Preston shrugged nonchalantly. Cammie raised an eyebrow.

"And that would affect me… how?"

"Don't you care at all?"

Cammie thought about it for half a second, "Hmm… no."

"Oh, alright then." Preston said, looking uncertain.

"Yep. So I think you better go."

"Yeah, I probably should…" Preston muttered, hurrying past her, looking confused.

Cammie waited until he was out of sight until she turned around, looking in the direction he had come from. "Shit…"

…

Zach internally breathed a sigh of relief when the cold metal was removed from the side of his temple. If anything, this guy was resilient.

"Why didn't you kill me?"

The guy shrugged. "Not worth it." He walked over and leaned against the far wall of the room, next to the door.

"What do you mean?" Better to keep the guy distracted. The plastic cuffs were loosening.

"I've never had someone's blood on my hands. I don't intend to anytime soon," the guy said.

"What's your name?"

"Paul."

"Cool name." Zach commented.

"Thanks, kid." He smiled. "You know, I reckon you're a nice kid. I'm sorry about how I acted before. Part of my act, you know?"

Zach grinned, "Yeah I know."

"So what exactly did you do to get Preston Winters so pissed off?" Paul questioned, crossing his arms across his body, eyeing Zach warily.

Zach shrugged, "Stole his fiancé, destroyed his reputation… you know, the normal stuff."

Paul almost laughed. "I see why he's so hostile towards you now. Ever thought of saying sorry?"

"Preston Winters doesn't seem like the type who would accept apologies," Zach said bitterly. "I didn't mean to 'steal' Cammie off him. It just happened, you know…?"

Paul nodded, "Ah, young love," he chuckled. "Man, you kids have got a lot to learn."

"Well, if I'm going to be strapped here any longer…" Zach raised his eyebrows.

Paul sighed, shaking his head. "Look, kid. If I could let you out, I would. It's just not possible though… I've got a wife, two beautiful girls…"

"I understand," Zach nodded.

…

* * *

**8:55PM**

Cammie sighed, leaning against the wall and running her fingers through her hair. She had searched the whole bottom levels of the stupid ship and still hadn't found him. Where the hell could he be?

"Cammie!" a voice called down the hallway. Oh shit. Her mother was there, tearing down the corridor like a bullet, finally appearing next to her. Rachel grabbed her arm and began tugging her back down the hallway, heading towards the deck. "How _dare_you ignore my instructions?" she screamed. "You need to be off this ship. We have five minutes!"

Cammie struggled to tear her arm away. "Mum! Stop! I have to get Zach!"

"Leave him!" Rachel ordered. "We need to get you off this ship!"

"I will _not_leave him, mother!" Cammie yelled, skidding to a stop and pulling Rachel back. "Mum, I_love_ him. Don't you understand that? I won't abandon him on here."

"You can, and you will." Rachel said firmly.

"Mum, please. I need to find him. It will _kill_me if I find out that he died because of me. I can't live with that, mum. I just… can't." Her voice was now a whisper. Her mother sighed irritably, even though there were tears in her eyes.

"I'll make you a compromise," Rachel sighed. "You come with me to the helicopter, and I'll send some of my men down there to retrieve him."

"Yes." Cammie breathed… it wasn't exactly what was on her mind, but she would take what she could get.

"Okay, let's go."

…

* * *

**8:57PM**

The door burst open, once again flooding the area Zach was in with light. Half a dozen men came tearing in, interrupting Paul in the middle of his story.

"Are you Zach Goode?" a voice said gruffly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a Paul lying on the floor, knocked out cold.

"Yeah," he said, rubbing his wrists as his cuffs were cut away.

"We need to go. Follow me." The voice ordered gruffly. He followed without hesitation.

"Now, we might not make it." Another voice, coming from the man behind him spoke up.

"It's a worthy sacrifice. We will make it though, if we hurry up." The first man barked back, picking up his speed, urging Zach to follow behind him.

"Where are we going?" he asked, out of breath.

"To the deck," the second man replied. "We need to get you on a helicopter as soon as possible."

"Why?"

The first man turned around to stare at Zach coldly, still hurrying down the hall. "Why? Well, because this ship is set to blow in about two minutes."

…

* * *

**8:58PM**

"Mum, where is he?" Cammie asked, gazing out the window towards the lower deck where Zach was supposed to emerge.

"He'll come out soon. They have him."

Cammie sighed, pacing the helicopter floor as Edward Townsend sat on a nearby chair, also watching the scene with interest. In his arm was his phone, installed with what Cammie knew was a button that could and would activate the bombs at any minute now.

...

* * *

**8:59PM**

"We're moving. Why are we moving?" Cammie asked frantically, running towards the doors. Rachel held her daughter back without hesitation.

"We need to head up to stay clear of the debris from the explosion."

"What about Zach?" Cammie yelled, still keeping a look out on the deck. "He's still down there!"

"There's another chopper down there for him." Rachel said simply.

Cammie struggled to keep the tears from forming in her eyes. "You set this up, didn't you? You pretended that Zach was going to be safe, just to get me on this helicopter."

Rachel didn't answer.

"I can't believe you," Cammie breathed.

...

* * *

**8:59:30PM**

"I did it for your own good," Rachel said simply.

Cammie collapsed onto a chair, still fighting the tears.

...

* * *

**8:59:45PM**

Cammie shut her eyes, finally allowing the tears to pass.

...

* * *

**8:59:55PM**

"Get ready," Townsend called out, finger hovering over the button. Everyone braced themselves.

...

* * *

**9:00PM**

"Boom," he said quietly, tapping lightly on the button.

The world exploded.

.

* * *

**What'd you guys think? :) Epilogue is next :D**

**x, Tina. **


	10. the epilogue

**Titanic: the Epilogue. **

**-.-**

"This is bullshit," Cammie muttered as she got into the car after her mother. It was past three in the morning, and they were still lingering around the dock while her mother sorted out her plans for the next few weeks until they were supposed to fly to Amsterdam to get debriefed. "Complete and utter bullshit."

She relaxed back into the leather interior of the car, head rested against the window as drops of rain started sprinkling onto the surface. It was pitch black outside, with only the city lights casting an eerie glow in the distance.

"Cammie," Rachel started quietly, careful not to be overheard by the driver. "You haven't spoken to me in three weeks. Talk to me, sweetheart."

Cammie glanced over at her mother with disgust before casting her eyes back to the countryside as they passed through at an insane (and illegal) speed.

"Cammie," her mother pressed.

Cammie rolled her eyes and turned to her mother, tears threatening to spill over. "What do you want me to say to you, mother? You've taken away my only true chance at happiness in my life!" she burst angrily, "This life that I live, that you live… I never wanted it, mum. You forced me into it. It was all going downhill for me until I met… _him." _

Rachel sighed, closing her eyes for a brief second as she tried to gather her thoughts. As she opened her mouth to speak, her daughter cut her off once more.

"The amount of pressure you put on me…" she breathed, tears gathering in her eyes, "the expectations you had of me… Did you know that I was ready to jump off that ship when Zach found me? He saw right through the lies, mum. He saw _me. _The real me… not some picturesque painting in an art gallery that you've conjured up to hide your secrets and continue your legacy. I loved him… I never got to tell him that, but I really do. We haven't spent that long with each other, I know, but when you connect with someone on a level that emotional… things happen mum."

"Sweetheart-"

"-Please just save it mum… I don't want to hear it. After we get debriefed in Amsterdam, that's it. I'm severing all ties with you."

"But Cammie-"

"Please. Just stop," Cammie said, pulling out her earphones and turning the music up full blast to shut out the world.

Rachel Morgan sighed as she observed her daughter in a state of despair. If only she knew…

-.-

"Okay, you're free to go," the CIA agent concluded, shooting Cammie a small smile as she got up and straightened her skirt. "You did very well, dear."

The agent (named Alicia) walked over to the side and opened the door, holding it open as the universal sign for 'get the fuck out'. Cammie quickly thanked her before darting out the door.

She started down the hallway towards the elevator that would take her up to the changing room of a nice little boutique in the middle of the shopping centre. Making sure to avoid running into her mother, Cammie walked out of the store towards one of the bathrooms in the centre, pulling out her makeup bag to complete her disguise.

Once satisfied with the chin length black wig she had on, she walked out of the store and headed for the parking lot where her Audi was parked. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except when she got into the car, she noticed a post-it note stuck onto the steering wheel.

'**I have what you want.  
Meet me in the food court, near the sushi bar.'**

Cammie frowned at the note, wondering if it was a prank or not. Her inner spy was telling her not to go. It could be dangerous. But her inner girl told her to go.

And that was how she found herself, handing the cashier the money as she grabbed the paper bag containing her sushi off the counter. As soon as she walked away from the counter, she noticed a small pink post it stuck on the underside of the counter. She quickly leaned in and snagged it, earning a surprised look from the next customer. She apologised before turning away and scanning the note.

'**Look to your left.'**

She looked to the left. There was nothing out of the ordinary there.

"To your other left, you dimwit!" a voice called out from her right. She whirled around at the noise, eyes scanning the food court until they landed on their subject.

_Him. _

Zach.

Cammie stood frozen on the spot as she took him all in. The way his shoulders were more broad and define, his trademark smirk, the way his hair was longer than before. He shoved his hands into his jean pockets, a small smile on his face as he made his way towards her.

"Hey," he said softly, walking up to stand in front of her.

"Zach," Cammie breathed, blinking a few times to make sure he was real. "I thought you were… I thought you weren't able to escape," she said frantically. "I thought you were dead – with the way that ship blew up."

"Shhh…" Zach whispered, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. He held her head in his hands, tilting her head up to look at him. "I'm here. I'm okay. I was never gone."

"What do you mean?"

"We'll talk about all of that later. All that matters is that you're here. And I'm here. And we're together."

"How did this happen?"

Zach smirked, a small laugh escaping his lips, "Believe it or not, it was your mother who brought me here. She kept me alive, Cam. I pretty much owe her everything."

"But I thought…"

"The helicopter didn't manage to escape the explosion, sure, but I did. Your mum explained everything when we were in Paris." Zach took her hand and they started walking in order to escape the odd looks that other people were shooting them.

"You were in Paris with my mother?" Cammie asked.

"Yeah, I was…" Zach scratched the back of his head. "She told me everything."

"So she knew? She knew that you were alive the whole time and didn't even try to tell me? She let me believe that you were dead?"

"It's not her fault," he said hesitantly. "It was for your benefit."

"What do you mean?"

"Your life… I'm not supposed to know anything. She needed to let you be debriefed before she could say anything. I'm not supposed to be put in the records. The CIA can't know that I'm alive."

"What? So you're a criminal now?"

"Of sorts…" Zach tried to explain. "Okay, let's put it this way," he started after seeing the confused look on Cammie's face. "My father wasn't exactly the most reliable person on the world…" Zach looked around carefully before saying, "he was a double agent."

Cammie's eyebrows shot up, "And they want you because…?"

"Because my dad's not dead yet. They want me as bait."

"Then we have to get out of here!" Cammie said frantically, trying to grab his hand and pull him out of the place.

"It won't be a problem here," Zach grinned. "Your mother's agents are everywhere. We're safe."

"I don't know…"

"Look, Cam… calm down. We're together, that's all that matters." Zach cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb across a stray tear that had fallen. "I love you…" he whispered, dipping his head down to press his lips against hers.

"I love you too, Zach."

-.-

**well that was the end, guys.  
i'm feeling bittersweet about this ending, don't worry. you're not the only one.  
can't believe i actually finished another one though. albeit it took me two years, but whatevs.**

**what'd you guys think?  
reckon it's sequel-worthy? **

**i'm in year 12 now... one year of school left, eek.  
so if you guys really want a sequel, i think it'd have to wait... a while.  
**

**love you all,  
tunarh :) **


End file.
